Nicolas Andreas Taralis

Nicolas Andreas Taralis is a relative newcomer whose promise extends far beyond his interesting pedigree (which includes a stint with Hedi Slimane at Dior Homme). Not only was his front row well stocked with prominent editors and retailers, but standing-room guests lined the wall and snaked behind the light rigging all the way to the doorwhere the clothes, dimly lit to begin with, must have been plenty hard to see.

In a spring season of multiplying dresses and diminishing returns, the 30-year-old Canadian focusedwith rigorous precisionon pantsuits. These he proposed as cropped jackets paired with full trousers complete with front pleats or, in a younger take on the theme, superskinny jeans. They were paired with fine-jersey tees in white and gray, which trailed silvery streamers and sashes.

A pleated silver lamé dress, strung from the neck halter-style and loosely tied at the waist, showed that Taralis can also do pretty. And as for draping: When he arrived on the scene a year ago, he showed the kind of capes that are just now making their way into other collections. For spring, he's moved on to ponchos. His finale, which was striped with black and silver beads, had the kind of off-hand cool and notice-me luxe that would make a more experienced designer wish he'd thought of it first.